Machine for cutting and forming rectangular can-heads.



W. E. TAYLOR. MACHINE FOB. CUTTING AND FORMING RECTANGULAR CAN HEADS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1911.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

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W. E. TAYLOR.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND FORMING REGTANGULAR CAN HEADS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1911.

1,091,601. Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

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UNITED SATS PAEN FFIQEQ WILLIAM E. TAYLOR, OF EASTPOR-T,.MAINE, ASSIGNOR/ TO AMERICAN CAN COMPANY, OF NEH/V YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND FORMING RECTANGULAR CAN-HEADS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 31, 191 i.

Original application filed March 21, 1910 Serial No. 550,713. Divided and this application filed May 26,

To all whom.- it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM E. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing in Eastport, in the county of Washington and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Cutting and Forming Rectangular Can-Heads, of which the following-is a specification.

My invention relates to cutting and forming rectangular can heads, and more particularly to can heads used as the bottoms or covers for sardine cans, the same being of rectangular shape with rounded corners, and having a countersunk wall and seaming flange.

This is a divisional application of my application, Serial No. 550,713, filed March 21. 1.910, for cutting and forming rectangular can heads and means therefor.

I-leretofore rectangular sardine can heads or covers have ordinarily been out and formed from a strip of sheet metal, somewhat wider than the total width of the blank required, by cutting and forming dies, the cutting edges of which are continuous or endless, the blank for each head being cut out of a portion of the strip somewhat exceeding in length the total length required of the blank, and thus leaving a nar row portion of scrap at each side edge of the blank, and also leaving a narrow strip of scrap between successive blanks which are cut from the strip. This old method leaves a connected skeleton of tin scrap and is attended with considerable waste.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved means for cutting and forming sardine or other can heads of rectangular shape, by means of which can heads may be cut and formed without any unnecessary waste and at a material saving in metal over the means heretofore employed, and by which the can heads may be rapidly and cheaply produced.

In my invention, the sheet of tin plate from which the can heads are to be cut and formed is first cut into narrow strips of the exact width of the can head blanks required. One of these strips is then fed, preferably in an upright position, so that the feed may be by gravity. against a suitable lower gage against which the lower end of the strip directly abuts, and a portion thereof cut therefrom of the exact length required for Serial No. 629,628.

a can head blank, and at the same time that the can head blank is severed from the strip, the corners thereof are clipped or rounded as required. A nd then the required countersink is formed in the severed blank, this being done by suitable forming dies with which the severed blank is accurately registered by suitable side gages, which also accurately register the strip with the cutting dies before the blank is severed therefrom. In this way the can heads are out without any scrap-skeleton being formed or required, and substantially without waste, excepting indeed for the small pieces of scrap incident to the rounding of the corners of the rectangular can head blank.

The cutting dies employed in my invention do not have or necessarily have continuous or endless cutting edges, the cutting edges being preferably in three segments or portions, two for clipping or rounding the two lower corners of each can head or blank, and a third one for severing the blank from the strip of the exact length required and for clipping or rounding the two upper corners of each can head or blank. The male and female forming dies which produce the countersunk wall in the can head or cover have continuous operative faces. The strip of sheet metal from which the can heads are cut and formed is fed or feeds to the dies against a bottom gage through an upright chute which is preferably attached to the bed plate of the stationary die, the inclination of the upright chute to the horizontal being at a suflicient angle to cause the strip to readily feed by its own gravity down the chute. The angle at which the upright chute is arranged to the horizontal is preferably a right angle. The lower or end gage against which the end of the sheet metal strip abuts to properly register it with the dies, may be either a fixed or a movable gage, and attached either to the bed plate of the stationary die or otherwise mounted. In cutting and forming can heads having a countersunk wall deep enough to cause them to certainly stick in and be withdrawn out of the way with the female forming die of the punch or reciprocating die, I prefer to employ a fixed bottom gage and secure it to the bed plate of the stationary die. In cutting and forming can heads having a very shallow or no countersink, the lower or end gage is preferably a movable one. One of the side gages is preferably adjustably mounted and the other is movably mounted so as to clamp the strip and the blank cut therefrom by its side edges between the two side gages and accurately center it with the dies.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 shows on a small scale a sheet of tin plate. Fig. 2 the same severed into narrow can head strips. each of the exact width of the can head blank. Fig. 3 shows one of the can head strips transversely cut into a plurality of rectangular can head blanks with rounded corners. Fig, t shows a can head as cut and formed by my invention. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a can head cutting and form ing mechanism embodying and suitable .for use in practising my invention. Fig, 6 is a central vertical sectional view enlarged. Fig. 7 is a detail elevation of the fixed die and its bed plate and attached parts. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section on line 8-8 of Fig. 7 and Figs. 9 and 10 show a modification in which the lower end gage is movably mounted.

In the drawing, A represents a sheet of tin plate, A narrow can head strips cut therefrom, each of the exact width of a can head blank, A a can head out and formed from said blank according to my invention and having a countersunk wall a and seaming flange (6 In cutting and forming the can heads A from the can head strip A two small pieces of scrap a are formed by clipping or rounding the lower corners of the first can head, and further small pieces of scrap a are formed by clipping and rounding the upper and lower corners of the successive adjacent blanks, and a final narrow piece of scrap a is formed in cutting the last can head from the strip. By my improved method of cut ting and forming can heads, there is thus no unnecessary waste, the strip being severed by success've transverse cuts into the exact lengths necessary for the can head blanks and the strip being of the exact width required for the can head blanks. All the scrap produced is represented by the small corner pieces a (L3 and final narrow corner strip piece a In the can head cutting and forming press embodying my invention as shown in the drawing, B is the bed plate of the fixed or stationary die mounted in the usual manner upon the frame C.

D is the launcher reciprocating die secured in the usual manner to the cross head D which is operated from the crank shaft E- of the press through the pitman or connecting rod E F is an upright chute, preferably substantially vertical, through which the long narrow can head strips A are fed or feed by gravity to the dies.

G is the lower or end gage against which the end of the can head strip A abuts and H is the adjustable side gage and H the movable gage.

The bed plate 13 has a cutting die I), the cutting edge of which, not necessarily'continuous, preferably comprises two lower corner rounding or clipping segments or portions 6 b and an upper blank severing and corner clipping or rounding portion 79 the middle part of which is straight and h terminal parts of which are curved as required to form the rounded corners of the can head blank as it is severed from the can head strip. The cutting die Z) preferably has four high or starting points If, one at the middle of each of the four corner roundor clipping portions of the die, so that the die will operate with a shear cut and cause the cut to be gradually and easily made. By having the starting points Z2 of the cutting in the middle or center of each of the corners of the can head, plenty of metal is given for shearing purposes, and prevents slivering at the intersection of the curved corner cut edges with the straight side and end cut edges of the can head blank. The main or bed die plate B also carries a male forming die member 5* having a continuous operative face Z2 which forms the countersunk wall a of the can head and a spring backed blank holder ring The female cutting die 6 is also provided with slots or recesses b at its straight side portions to receive the side gages H and H The blank holder or ring (2 is connected by pins 5 with the cap disk 5 against which the spring 6 acts to press the blank holder against the spring.

The reciprocating die or punch D has a cutting edge (Z which cooperates with the cutting edge of the female cutting die 5 to sever the can head blanks from the can head strip and to clip or round the corners thereof; and it is also provided with a continuous or endless female forming die face (Z which cooperates with the male forming die 6* on the bed plate B to produce the countersunk wall a in the can head. The punch or reciprocating die I) is provided w'th a knockout or can head ejector (Z the stem (Z of which engages a fixed stop (Z as the cross head of the press makes its aackward stroke, and thus operates the knockout to eject the canv head from the punch or reciprocating die D. A spring (Z acting against a pin (5 on the knockout stem (Z serves to hold the knockout in its normal position.

The lower or end gage G against which the lower end of the can head strip A abuts and which serves to register it with the'dies as shown in Figs. 5 to 8, is preferably a fixed gage and secured to the die plate 13. It is provided with a screw threaded shank g for attaching it to the die plate.

The side gage H is adjustably secured to the bed plate B by means of bolts or screws h which pass through slots 72. in the side gage H. The other side gage H is movable so that it may be advanced to press and clamp the can head strip and the blank severed therefrom snugly against the opposing gage H, and thus accurately register the strip and blank with the dies preparatory to the cutting and forming operations, and so that it may be retracted to permit the can head strip A to freely feed down for the succeeding can head preparatory to the next operation. The movable H is preferably reciprocated or operated as required by means of an arm (5 secured to the cross head D and which engages a cam like projection or face 71 on the gage operating lever 71 the upper end of which is connected to the shank h of the gage H To prevent danger of the can head strip, after all the blanks but one have been cut therefrom, from tilting forward after it passes down the chute against the bottom gage G, I provide the side gages H H with spring backed fingers or gages h which the punch D pushes back out of the way as it advances.

To support the can head strip A in the chute F. I provide the cross head 1) of the punch D with a spring tension or strip holder K, which, by pressing against the blank under action of the spring K prevents the strip from feedingrdown through the chute until after the punch makes the first portion of its backward stroke.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10, instead of employing a fixed lower or end gage G, a movable lower or end gage G is employed, this construction being bet-- ter adapted for use where the countersink of the can head is very shallow or less than one. sixteenth of an inch and consequently may not certainly stick in or be withdrawn by the reciprocating die D from the stationary die plate B and its dies. This movable end gage G may be of any suitable kind or construction and mounted in any suitable way, and operated or withdrawn out of the way to permit of the discharge of the formed can head. It is preferably mounted as illustrated in the drawing in a slide in the lower part of the punch D and is operated through an adjustable rod from a cam on the crankshaft. The spring tension or strip holder device K timed so as not to release the can head strip A until the movable gage G is in proper position. As soon as the cross head D and punch D advance to cut the tin, the movable gage G is moved out of the way by the cam y so as to let the formed cover fall out of the dies.

After each can head blank is cut from the lowermost end of the can head strip by the upper portion of the cutting dies, (which transversely sever the strip by a. line of cut which is straight at the middle portion and curved at the extremities) the lower end of the can head strip may ride upon the male cutting die or punch D until it withdraws sutlieiently to permit the can head strip to again feed down by gravity against the gage Gr or G according as theone or the other may be used. The narrow terminal strip of scrap a left after the last can head is cutfrom the strip falls down upon the punch D and is by it. withdrawn out of the way. As the end gage G, or G if a movable end gage is employed, and against which the lower end of the can head strip rests is coincident with the cut edge of the can head blank, and as the side gages ll and I'l whieh engage the side edge of the can head strip or blank are also coincident with the side out edges of the strip and blank, and as the cutting dies are not required to cut the straight portions of the side out edges of the blank, the cutting of the can head blanks of the exact dimensions required is accom plished without production of any intervening narrow strips of scrap or waste between the side and end cut edges of adjacent blanks.

The tension device K is not necessarily employed, especially in cases where the stationary gage or stop G is employed, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

I claim 1. In a can head cutting and forming press, the combination with a feed chute for a can head strip, of male and female can head cutting and forming dies, an end gage coincident with one cut edge of the blank, and side gages coincident with the side cut edges of the blank, said cutting dies severing at each stroke a portion from said can head strip exactly equaling one dimension on the can head blank, whereby the can heads are cut and formed without narrow strips of scrap between adjacent blanks, said chute being upright and the strip feeding down it by gravity, and spring fingers for preventing said can head strip left after all the can heads but one have been cut therefrom from tilting forward, substantially as specified.

2. In a can head cutting and forming press, the combination with a feed chute for a can head strip, of male and female can head cutting and forming dies, an end gage coincident with one cut edge of the blank, and side gages coincident with the side cut edges of the blank, said cutting dies severing at each stroke a portion from said can head strip exactly equaling one dimen' sion of the can head blank, whereby the can heads are cut and formed without narrow strips or" scrap between adjacent blanks, said end gage being movable away from the female cutting die, substantially as specified.

8. In a can head cutting and forming press, the combination with a feedchute for a can head strip, of male and female can head cutting and forming dies, an end gage coincident with one cut edge of the blank, and side gages coincident with the side out edges of the blank, said cutting dies severing at each stroke a portion from said can head strip exactly equaling one dimension of the can head blank, whereby the can heads are cut and formed without narrow strips of scrap between adjacent blanks, one of said side gages being movable toward and from the other, and means for moving it in cooperation with the movable cutting and forming die, substantially as specified.

a. In a can head cutting and forming press, the combination with a feed chute for a can head strip, 0? male and female can head cutting and forming dies, an end gage coincident with one cut edge of the blank, and side gages coincident with the side out edges of the blank, said cutting dies severing at each stroke a portion from said can head strip exactly equaling one dimensionof the can head blank, whereby the can heads are cut and formed without narrow strlps of scrap between ad acent blanks, one

of said side gages being adjustable and the 7 other being movable, and means for operating the movable side gage, substantially as specified.

5. The combination with a pair of can head cutting dies, of an upright feed chute for a can head strip, a lower gage for the end of the strip and side gages for the side edges of the strip, one of said side gages being movable toward and from the other, the cutting edges of said dies operating to severcorners of the blank as it is severed, and

thus produce round corner rectangular can head blanks without intervening scrap between the end edges of adjacent blanks, substantially as specified.

WILLIAM E. TAYLOR. lVitnesses:

J OI-IN L. PARKER, MYRTLE M. NORWOOD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Batents, Washington, I). 0. 

